Search Continues for Missing Snow Mobilers on Boulder Mountain

Sunday, March 14, 2010 11:57 AM

Boulder Mountain, scene of a massive avalanche that has claimed at least two lives

Revelstoke, B.C.- The rescue/recovery effort continues at Boulder Mountain near Revelstoke, following a massive avalanche that came thundering down on those taking part in the Big Iron Shoot Out.

It has been confirmed that at least two people died in the slide which was 3 kilometers long. The RCMP have also confirmed, 30 people were injured as a result of the avalanche.

19 persons were released from hospital with 1 person remaining in critical and 3 individuals in serious condition. These four individuals have all been transferred to Kamloops Royal Inlands Hospital, Kelowna General, Vernon Regional and Calgary Foothills hospital for care.

Avalanche Technicians with Parks Canada along with the BC Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel are flying over the slide site this morning to properly assess the safety levels for ground searchers to enter the location. Local air assets of 3 helicopters from Alpine Helicopters and Selkirk Mtn Helicopters are assisting with the task today. The RCMP Air Services Air 3 from the Southeast District is also assisting.

Once the area is deemed safe, the 4 SAR Teams comprising of approximately 40-50 teams members will continue to conduct a search for recovery/rescue utilizing beacon signal search, probe and search dogs and will be assisted by 9 Parks Canada avalanche technicians/rescuers. 5 avalanche trained canine assets from the RCMP 1 , Parks Canada 1 and Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association 3(CARDA) will also be deployed.

Local and supporting RCMP units worked throughout the night conducting hotel and accommodation canvassing in order to determine the numbers of persons possibly still outstanding and unaccounted for, this remains to be completed today.

The RCMP have requested that anyone who was attending the event and who made their way safely off of the mountain, to attend the Revelstoke Community Center located at 600 Campbell Ave today, in addition to those who have equipment/property or machines still at the site. The RCMP would like to compile this information in order to assist with accounting of still missing persons and to ease the eventual return of equipment.

The Big iron Shoot Out is an annual aevent that is known for its party atmosphere. Those attending often take part in "high marking" on steep slopes. Although it is not yet known if any of the participants were from Prince George, one man from Fort St. John managed to get off the mountain safely. He said he saw a "Big white wall of snow" come down on his group of 30 sledders. He dove behind his machine, and his friends dug him out. He was spared injury.

The Big Iron Shoot Out is not a sanctioned event, and participants opted to go ahead with it in the back country despite warnings from the Canadian Avalanche Centre that the region was at extreme risk of avalanche on the weekend because of fresh snow on an unstable snow pack.

Premier Gordon Campbell has issued a statement on this tragedy:

"British Columbians were saddened to hear of the avalanche that struck snowmobilers who were participating in a snowmobile event on Boulder Mountain this past weekend. On behalf of all British Columbians, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and fellow snowmobilers of those who have been impacted by this terrible tragedy.

"I want to commend the efforts of rescue personnel and volunteers who quickly responded to those in need and prevented further tragedies. All British Columbians are grateful for the search and rescue teams' ongoing

efforts.

"In times such as these, it is important we draw on the strength of each other and the community around us. Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by this avalanche. Our hearts go out to all of them in this extremely difficult time."

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Sunday, March 14, 2010 11:57 AM in News by 250 News

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: Stompin Tom on March 14 2010 1:53 PM

"The Big Iron Shoot Out is not a sanctioned event, and participants opted to go ahead with it in the back country despite warnings from the Canadian Avalanche Centre that the region was at extreme risk of avalanche on the weekend because of fresh snow on an unstable snow pack."

That says everything. Snowmobilers are their own worst enemies. It wont be much longer before the entire province is off limits for sleds in the mountians.

I know these people have familes and dont need to hear this, but if that area was determined to be of high avalance risk, they were idiots to be there.

A HUGE black eye for the snowmobile industry as a whole.

Posted by: detoe43 on March 14 2010 2:30 PM

Education, education, education. There was
/is an unprecedented warning issued by the CAC regarding conditions across BC.
Quite obviously it was disregarded. Despite
what backcountry users will say in protest
this really is a huge black eye for all
users. The slide was 3 km long, what was the runout? Participants are fortunate there were not dozens of fatalities. If
backcountry users, including skiers &
snowboarders don't start being more responsible ie; properly assessing snowpacks, choosing proper terrain in bad
conditions, they are inviting gov't regulation.

Posted by: interceptor on March 14 2010 3:17 PM

Thanks Tom - I hope if you ever lose a loved one there is some smartazz sitting on his couch to call them "idiots"

Posted by: seamutt on March 14 2010 4:07 PM

Hey Tom I guess that applies to the hikers, skiers, mountain climbers,hunters,also.

Posted by: Stompin Tom on March 14 2010 6:10 PM

there is a differance between 200 hp sleds and hikers, skiers, climbers and hunters.

Get real people, I hate to see somebody hurt or injured as much as anybody else, but those sledders who were highmarking are idiots, plain and simple. They took their lives and the lives of the spectators into their own hands, worse yet when there was an extreme avalanche warning.

Posted by: Stompin Tom on March 14 2010 6:12 PM

by the way seamutt,

by my personal experience, hikers, skiers, climbers and hunters use a much more common sense approach to the mountains. Way to many sledders are adrenaline junkies, nothing more, nothing less.

Posted by: Stompin Tom on March 14 2010 6:13 PM

interceptor,

Im willing to bet the families of the highmarkers already knew they were idiots when they went out on their sleds.

Posted by: seamutt on March 14 2010 6:37 PM

Tom I can see you don't know much about the sport by painting everyone with the same sport so lets ban everything that gets the heart going a bit.

there is a differance between 200 hp sleds and hikers, skiers, climbers and hunters.
Yea right.

Posted by: Dragonmaster on March 14 2010 6:43 PM

Stompin...take a long walk off a short pier!!!

Posted by: interceptor on March 14 2010 7:08 PM

I dont want to know what your family thinks of you then Tom. Now finish your cheetos and shake your butt off the couch so you can have a good sleep before you struggle to drag it out to the seat of your truck tomorrow.

Posted by: Stompin Tom on March 14 2010 10:45 PM

I spend my fair share of time sledding in the mountains, been there, do that.

You doves, do you, have you? I know who is ruining it, seen it many times.

Posted by: hughrock on March 15 2010 8:52 AM

People risk thier lives in many adventures, but to call the people who died idiots, you heartless phu. get a grip, what comes around goes around STUPID TOM

Posted by: Arthur Williams on March 15 2010 10:27 AM

Stompin' Tom is absolutely right. These guys never should have been there. All us taxpayers are now on the hook for the rescue efforts, medical bills, etc. Unfortunately when you combine too much horsepower with not enough brainpower, you get tragedies like this one.

Posted by: Arthur Williams on March 15 2010 10:30 AM

Maybe to protect morons, we should require an IQ test before allowing anyone to buy a sled, ATV or dirt bike.

Posted by: Loki on March 15 2010 11:11 AM

that would pretty much eliminate most from buying one.

Posted by: MrPG on March 15 2010 1:09 PM

Reading the account in the paper of one of the survivors, it seems that there were multiple idiots involved highmarking which caused the avalanche. Totally needless.

Posted by: interceptor on March 15 2010 7:08 PM

At least it would eliminate the dope smokers, eh Loki?

Arthur can you please tell me the cost of the rescue and then compare it to the cost of obese people eating McD's everyday and smoking and drinking and thier drain on healthcare?
Thanks

Posted by: mikmak on March 15 2010 7:11 PM

i'm another one agreeing with stompin' tom. saw on the news that the wife of one of the guys who died is demanding to know why this event was allowed to take place, given the unprecedented amount of media coverage regarding the extreme risks. the question should be, why was your husband completely negligent of the warnings, choosing to partake in a stupid show of 'manliness' over his role as father and husband?

there's another event like this planned for next weekend in the same vicinity, but with over 300 sledders registered to participate and watch. sorry to say it, but every single one of them is a absolute moron.

and yes, i do use the backcountry in the winter time, as a skier. i'm also a husband and a father. so when i hear from friends or the avalanche centre that conditions are dangerous, i use my brain, weigh the potential costs, and go for a run instead. maybe it's just me, but i'd rather watch my kids grow up and enjoy a great life with a great wife than see how high up on a mountain i can ride my snowmobile. if that's a tough choice to make for you, you're probably retarded.

Posted by: Arthur Williams on March 16 2010 12:19 PM

Interceptor,

I agree with you, people who trash their health are a drain on the system. We do have a liquor tax and cigarette tax already to penalize some of that behaviour. Those could certainly be increased. And soon we'll have the HST as a restaurant tax to penalize people who eat out. We just need a junk food tax and we should be covered :)

Unfortunately the people who drink too much and smoke are often the same people with the snowmobiles, ATVs, etc. It's often young guys with too much money and a, "it'll never happen to me," attitude. Or they're middle-aged rednecks who either don't know better or just don't care.

Intelligent people tend to prefer more environmentally-sensitive outdoor pursuits like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, canoeing, sailing, cycling, rock climbing, etc. At least, that's been my observation.